How We Designed a Mental Welness App for Students and Young Adults
Project: Mindful Moments – A mindfulness app designed for students and young adults navigating emotional and academic challenges
Usability Testing
PARTICIPANTS: 5 users
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GOAL: Evaluate ease of use, clarity of features, and overall UX
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TOOLS: Figma prototype
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METHOD: Moderated usability testing (30 minutes)
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Homepage:
First Impressions Matter
One of the first things we noticed during testing was that the homepage felt a bit text-heavy, and users felt overwhelmed.
ACTION POINTS
We reduced the text load on the homepage, introduced icons for quicker scanning. Two out of 5 users mentioned that illustrations that we used were confusing so we opted for simple photos on cards.
Chat Features: Make It Social
Chat was generally well-received—participants enjoyed using emojis and receiving notifications. However, one feature was noticeably missing: the ability to share images in chat.
ACTION POINTS
We added a plus sign that allows users to add images, and files to make community conversations more expressive.
Session feedback
Users were generally happy with how session scheduling worked, but one key piece of feedback stood out: they wanted a chance to reflect after their session. Rather than jumping straight back into the app, they hoped for a dedicated screen to leave feedback or review what they’d just done.
ACTION POINTS
We introduced a confirmation screen after each session that invites users to share feedback, reflect, or even track their mood.
Activity Descriptions
Some users were unsure what to expect from sections labeled simply “Podcasts” or “Articles.” The content was good—but the wording didn’t make it obvious what actions they could take.
ACTION POINTS
We updated these sectios with short descriptions that contain action-based labels such as Journal - Reflect on your thoughts... or Podcasts - Hear expert advice and student stories.
Welness and mental health focused
The journey begins with a simple onboarding that introduces users to the app´s purpose - supporting mindfulness and relaxation tailored for students and young adults facing academic and emotional challenges. From there, the homepage is where users can note down their mood, complete goals that they have set for themselves, explore recommendations, and quickly navigate to activities.
Everyday Tools for Mindfulness and Support
These screens show the key ways the app helps users take care of themselves. Whether it´s jumping into a quick breathing exercise to relax, writing in the journal with helpful prompts, reading easy-to-understand mental health articles, or find a therapist to talk to, everything is designed to fit smoothly into busy student life. The activities are simple and practical, helping users build healthy habits.
Connect and support each other
These screens focus on building a supportive community where users can find and join groups that really fit their need - like ADHD or neurodivergent support. It´s easy to browse, chat with peers, and even start new groups. The app helps users feel less alone by making it simple to connect and share with others going through similar experiences.
Where it all comes together
This is where users keep track of everything important - their progress in challenges, upcoming therapy sessions, achievements, and group activities. From here, it´s easy to check their weekly schedule. After a therapy session, users can share how they´re feeling and add notes, helping them reflect.
Overview
Mindful Moments is a mobile app designed to support the mental health of students and young adults through mindfulness-based tools. My sister and I co-led the end-to-end UX/UI process, from user research to final prototype, applying evidence-based mental health models and product design thinking to solve a real-world problem affecting over 40% of students today.
Info
My Role
UX/UI Designer (collaborative project with my sister, a fellow UX/UI designer)
Timeline
3 months
Tools
Figma, FigJam
Skills
UX research, user interviews, user flow mapping, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing
The Problem
According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2013–2023):
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40% of students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness
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20% considered suicide
Further, marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ students and students of color report higher levels of stress and stigma around mental health support, but have less access to personalized care.
Despite a rise in wellness apps, our research found that most fail to address:
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Student-specific stressors (e.g., academic overload, isolation)
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Consistency and habit-building
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Low-barrier access to therapy or peer communities
Wireframing & Early Collaboration
To bring our ideas to life, my sister and I co-created low-fidelity wireframes in Figma, using our user flow diagram and problem statement as a foundation. This process allowed us to quickly visualize the structure of our app, and as we iterated, we made several changes to simplify the experience.
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Key Metrics from User Research
We conducted a survey with 20+ student participants.
Key insights:
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60% experience daily stress impacting academic performance
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70% want mental health apps to integrate quick, daily tools (e.g., focus timers, micro-journals)
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50% said they avoid therapy due to stigma
These findings shaped our value propositions.
Business Goals
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Monetization through therapist partnerships
Therapists pay a small fee to list profiles and connect with young users through in-app messaging. This model allows students to find support while creating a sustainable revenue stream.
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Freemium model with optional premium upgrades
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Free core features (journaling, community access, daily mood check-ins)
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Premium tools: Guided meditations, advanced prompts, exclusive content
→ Projected conversion: 8–12% based on competitive analysis (e.g., Calm, Headspace)
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The Solution
We structured the app around the PERMA model (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment), a science-backed framework that enhances user well-being. Each feature was linked to a PERMA element.
Positive Emotion
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Daily gratitude journal with prompts
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Uplifting quotes on login
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Breathing techniques based on breath science
Engagement
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Gamified challenges (e.g., “7-day mindfulness streak”)
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Mood and focus tracking with visual feedback
Relationships
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Peer support groups by theme (e.g., ADHD, first-gen students, LGBTQ+)
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Therapist connection hub with easy access
Meaning
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Purpose-driven goals set by user interests
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Articles, short videos, and podcast content tied to mental health journeys
Ideation
Mindful Moments helps students and young adults manage their mental health through mood tracking, goal setting, guided meditations, breathing exercises, journaling, and mindfulness content. It also offers access to therapists and community support, promoting healthy habits and balance.
To visualize the user journey and identify key interaction points, we created a user flow diagram. This flow outlines the main pathways users might take when navigating the app, from onboarding and daily check-ins to engaging with mental health resources and connecting with support communities.
Outcomes
While this was a fictional project, we tracked impact through usability testing with our participants:
- 90% of users found the onboarding intuitive and not too extensive
- 80% said they would use the journaling tool daily or often
- 70% said the community groups are useful and would made them feel less alone on their mental health journey
Reflection on collaboration
This was a tandem design sprint with my sister that showed me how to collaborate with other designers. We combined our skills and both focused on UI as well as UX Research and Strategy while splitting our tasks. We worked together using an agile approach - holding onlline meetings, working closely in Figma, and adjusting as we went.
Next Steps
If we decided to develop this app further, Mindful Moments would move into:
- MVP development with analytics to track Daily and Weekly Active User
- integrating AI supported journaling
- working with universities and wellness centers to extend our therapist database and promoting our app